MY HEALTHY MORNING SPRING ROUTINE

Okay, full disclosure. I’m just going to skip the ‘I can’t believe it’s Spring already’ OR ‘How is it still raining in Spring’ openers and just get straight into the actual post.

My routine, like many others, differs depending on the time of the year and now that we are finally hitting Spring it’s time to jazz it up a little and get stuck into a brand-new routine. I love swapping my routine up for a multitude of different factors.

1. It’s very easy to get stuck in your current routine once you have been doing it for a while. Which can result in finding it very difficult in keeping your motivation.

2. With the change in seasons (and normally the weather) it’s nice to be able to do some more outside/indoor workouts that you might not have been able to do before – the change in scenery as well really does help keep you excited to get up and going.

3. With the change in seasons, comes the change in seasonal ingredients; I am a huge believer in eating what’s in season.

4. Time can play a huge factor in sticking to a routine, especially if there is a change in jobs/hobbies and other personal or work life commitments. Even the amount of hours of sunlight comes into play.

5. You can add or remove what wasn’t working in your last routine. You need to be able to give the factor in question the right amount of time to see if it is beneficial or not. So instead of just cutting something straight away from your routine, make note of it instead and then adapt it, in your new routine.

For me, creating and sticking to a routine helps not only my productivity in that day but also my stress and anxiety levels. But creating a morning routine that plays to my strengths, incorporates my time management and includes all the necessary tasks I need to complete, I can ensure that I have set myself up for my day in the best way possible. I don’t always stick to my routine ‘exactly’ every single day, I will amend it depending on what I am doing. If I have an early meeting, for example, I will swap things around, or if I’m feeling extra tired and needing a rest day – then I will do the same. It’s all about listening to my body and finding what works for me that day. But by having my routine that I can stick to, the majority of the time and then use that as a skeleton for the rest of the time. In short, I have managed to find something that always works for me.

Wake Up, Get Up – But Don’t Fully Switch On:I tend to wake up naturally around 6.30am – I blame my London commuting days for this. But instead of fighting against it, and snoozing, I allow myself to wake up naturally before having a huge stretch and saying hello to my fur-babies. I always keep a bottle of water next to my bed, ready to start sipping on and hydrating my body from the get-go. I keep this bottle with me throughout my entire day and just keep my body in tip-top-water-shape. I’m currently trying to wean myself away from PET and Plastic so my BKR* glass bottle has become my best friend – not only is it reusable and eco-friendly it also looks incredible. BKR’s ethos is having the environment and our beauty at their heart. Our own hydration is just as important as that of the earth’s so they have combined these two important factors together to create a beautiful and sleek product that encourages its users to not only drink more water, pertinent to our health and helps to add a more hydrated, glowing and and natural complexion but also to use less plastic which is a force I am 100% behind.

I’m also in the middle of trying to teach my mind to not immediately check my phone when I wake up, or I know I would end up spending the next half hour (easily) scrolling through socials. The most important thing I have put into this routing is by putting a ban on checking my phone until after I am up and dressed. After I get up, I head to the bathroom, splash my face with water to wake myself fully up and brush my teeth. I shower and do my full morning skin-care routine after getting back from the gym, otherwise, I’m just going to just sweat it off.

Get My Sweat On:I prefer to work-out in the morning, that way I don’t have to feel guilty if work runs on a little later than usual. This also helps to set me up for the day, gets those endorphins pumping and just puts me in a happier mood. I normally work-out fasted, but this is because I’m not a huge early morning eater. I either walk the 15-minute journey to the gym, (to help hit those 10K steps) and spend around an hour to two at the gym depending on what I’m working on and what the rest of my day has planned or go for a run outside, depending on the weather. If I need to rush into London sometimes my work-outs are cut shorter – like I said before, it’s all about being adaptable to your day.

Post-Workout:
I always sip on a shake on my way back from the gym. This helps with a multitude of different factors from muscle recovery, to fatigue levels and helps to kick-start my metabolism ready for my breakfast when I get home. I’m currently loving whey’d Strawberries and Cream. The simple, single-serve sachets are the perfect size to pop into my gym bag, and with only 85kcals and 20g of protein, they fit perfectly into my diet.

Shower, Skin and Supplements:As soon as I get home, I jump straight into the shower. This is normally accompanied by some Country Hit Radio Playlist and finished with a quick and simple skin-care routine. I’ve been using Sönd* skin-care for the last few months, and it’s true what they say, don’t fix, what ain’t broken! I’m going to do a full post on Sönd in the future so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Next up, still in my towel, and still with the Country radio playing – I head into my office to take my supplements. I’m currently taking a personalised VITL selection of 4 tablets which I have been taking for the last few months. You can take a personalised test on their website, which takes around 15/20 minutes and covers topics such as health, diet, goals, and lifestyle. It can be a little pricey from the off-set but works out to be around £1 a day overall and I have found them such a huge help in my overall health and well-being. The 4 that I am currently taking are Active Probiotic – to keep my gut healthy, Energy Complex – to help keep me feeling lively throughout the day, Immune Defense, to help reinforce my natural defences and a Krill Omega 3, to help contribute to a healthy heart and brain.

On top of these, I have also been taking Lean Greens Billions*, to help even further with that gut health and Amber Boost*, a tumeric complex due to current inflammation in my arm and gut.

Dress Up to Eat:After all my supplements are taken, I head to my room and get ready for the day ahead. I always like to make sure I am dressed, even when I am planning on working from home, as this helps to put me in the mindset of work mode, rather than relaxing and casual. If I’m not planning on heading to meetings later in the day or have any skype calls, I don’t bother with makeup, this helps my skin to breathe and hopefully keeps my skin looking more fresh and young as long as possible.

Once I’m all ready, I’ll head downstairs to eat. It’ll now be around 10/10.30 which is a more reasonable time for me to eat. Depending on my mood and schedule I’ll filter between three different meals. Sometime’s I’ll just make a smoothie or juice and drink that on my way to the station or sip it at my desk, if I’m feeling super hungry and needing something a little more hearty I’ll make Scrambled or Poached Eggs with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Smashed Avo on a Field Mushroom, or if I’m feeling a little bit fruity but want something a little more substantial than a smoothie, I’ll make an açai bowl. I’ve tried a lot of different brands of Açai powders and products over the years and have always found them to be a little dense, or time-consuming, but after being sent some of Sambazon Frozen Products* a few weeks ago I have fallen back in love with my beloved açai bowl. The Sambazon products are not only easily blended into creating a beautiful refined sugar-free bowl of goodness in 30 seconds flat, but they are also packed full of health-boosting ingredients and have the perfect balance of sweetness. I top this with a sprinkling of Gluten Free granola and whatever fruit I have laying about before sitting down to enjoy and finally allowing myself to check my social media.